Keira Knightley: I Got Drunk for My Fair Lady Audition

Singing under the influence helped Keira Knightley ace her audition for the upcoming movie remake of My Fair Lady.

"I probably did slur my words," Knightley told the U.K. edition of Glamour in its September issue about having a drink before her audition to play Eliza Doolittle. "I told [producer Cameron Mackintosh] that would be the only way I could sing in front of everyone."

However, Knightley soon realized that calming her nerves also had its drawbacks. "The problem with doing it is that alcohol dehydrates you, which isn't very helpful for singing. But they said it was alright."

And so the actress, 23, will star in the much-discussed remake of the 1964 musical movie, playing the Cockney flower girl turned society princess, played onscreen by Audrey Hepburn.

"There's nothing like a musical," she says. "Whenever I am feeling remotely down I put on Gigi. But the best musical ever has to be Fiddler On The Roof. I gave the DVD to my brother for Christmas in an attempt to convert him."

While My Fair Lady will mark Knightley's musical debut, it isn't her first time singing onscreen. She also sang in the recent biopicThe Edge of Love.

Scary auditions aside, Knightley, who is dating actor Rupert Friend, told the magazine she has never been happier. "At this particular time, I probably am more comfortable with myself. Just now I'm having a lovely time."